


Love Letters

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Flufftober 2019 [23]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-30 20:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21146381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Helen knows she wants to propose for months before she works up the nerve to buy a ring. She has an idea that she hopes is just the right level of cheesy, and not awful and embarrassing…. And if it is awful and embarrassing she can only hope that Maia loves her enough to overlook that fact and love her forever anyway.





	Love Letters

**Author's Note:**

> Flufftober Day 23: Letters

Helen meets Maia during a research seminar at which both of their jobs are presenting. They end up sitting next to each other at a large, round table in the back corner of the room and get to talking in-between presentations. During the presentations, most of which are very self-serving and some downright terrible, they start playing little games in a notebook Helen has on her. By the end of the seminar they go through approximately 10 pages just on hangman alone. Maia, as it turns out, is  _ very _ good at guessing. 

“What can I say?” Maia shrugs. “I have a way with words.” 

There’s no doubt about that when Maia’s choice of words leaves Helen blushing on more than one occasion throughout their day. 

When they’re about to leave Helen stops Maia at the last second. “Wait, one more-” she says, taking out a piece of paper and jotting down “_ _ _ - _ _ _ - _ _ _ _” 

Maia guesses a few letters, but when none of them are right and she’s only one wrong guess away from losing an idea dawns on her. Looking up at Helen with a smirk, Maia starts guessing numbers. 

Maia leaves with Helen’s phone number. 

They text, which turns to calling, which turns to drinks. As it turns out, they don’t live too far away from one another - half an hour, which is mostly manageable in the city if you travel at the right times. They watch sci-fi movies and television shows and spend most of the time picking apart the actual science and debating theories on realistic ways the plots might actually play out. 

They share popcorn, and kiss, start to fall in love slowly. It takes a little while for either of them to admit that’s what’s happening - but once they do there’s no denying it. 

Helen knows she wants to propose for months before she works up the nerve to buy a ring. But this is it for her, and she knows it. And she has an idea that she hopes is just the right level of cheesy, and not awful and embarrassing…. And if it  _ is  _ awful and embarrassing she can only hope that Maia loves her enough to overlook that fact and love her forever anyway. 

Maia has a guest lecture in half an hour, so she’s setting up alone in the hall when she gets a text from Helen. 

**Helen: ** Check your phone. I downloaded a game for you.

Almost immediately Maia gets a notification from a game she’s never seen before, but laughs quietly to herself when she opens it up to discover hangman, with the first round already sent to her by Helen. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _    
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _? 

Figuring it won’t take too much time out of her set-up to play Maia leans over the podium and considers her options before picking an E.    
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ E _ _ _    
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E? 

Playing the odds between the last word being ‘be’ or ‘me’, she goes with B. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ BE _ _ _    
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E? 

Huh. M it is, then, she thinks as she sends the letter through and watches several of them pop up with a satisfied smile. 

M _ _ _ _ _ BE _ _ _    
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ M _ _ _ _ ME? 

She thinks she hears a door open behind her but when she turns to look around the room - ready to hide her phone if it’s a student and pretend she wasn’t just playing a game with her girlfriend instead of being responsible - there’s no one there. 

Figuring she has time for at least one more guess quick, Maia grabs an A. This time, as the letters fill in, her smile turns down into a slight frown. 

MA _ A _ _ BE _ _ _    
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ MA _ _ _ ME? 

There aren’t many other things that first word could be, and using names is totally cheating, but she’s too curious to stop now so she chooses an I, and then an R. This time, as the letters start to fill, her breath catches in her throat. 

MAIA R _ BER _ _    
_ I _ _ _ _ _ MARR _ ME? 

It’s with shaking hands and tears stinging her eyes that she presses the ‘Y’ on the screen, then the W, and L. 

MAIA R _ BER _ _    
WILL Y _ _ MARRY ME? 

There’s no more doubt, even with the few letters still missing, what the message says. Just the same, Maia lets out a quiet sob as she hits O, T, S, U in rapid succession. 

MAIA ROBERTS    
WILL YOU MARRY ME? 

“Oh my god,” Maia says out loud to herself, trying - and failing - to control her breathing. 

“I don’t think ‘oh my god’ is a valid answer to the question,” Helen’s voice says from behind her, and when Maia spins around in surprise it’s to the sight of Helen on one knee, holding a box with a ring Maia can barely make out through her tears. 

Helen smiles, but it’s a nervous smile, and Maia realizes she still hasn’t answered the question. 

“Is ‘Yes’ a valid enough answer?” Maia offers, beaming. 

Helen stands up immediately and closes the space between them, meeting in a kiss that tastes of tears and sounds of relieved, joyous laughter. 

“How am I supposed to give a lecture after this?” Helen demands, wiping away the tears from her face. 

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find the words,” Helen points out, smirking. “You always do.” 

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


End file.
